Key points:
- This comes after an investigation into a video which featured the Stake logo and an adult actress
- Football clubs will be written to about the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites
The Gambling Commission has announced that Stake.uk.com will no longer operate in the UK market from next month.
This comes after an investigation by the Commission into a video which displayed the Stake logo on social media, which featured an adult actress outside Nottingham Trent University. Players have been emailed and informed of the operator's exit, stating: 'We regret to inform you of a business decision that has led to the Stake brand ceasing its UK operations. On Monday, 10th March 2025, stake.uk.com will close its website, and you will no longer be able to access your account.'
Stake added that it 'advise[s] all customers to log in and withdraw any funds from their account before the closure date.'
Stake are currently involved in football in the UK as it is the front-of-shirt sponsor of Premier League side Everton. The Commission has stated that it intends to write to the Toffees as well as two other football clubs which have unlicensed sponsors to warn about the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites.
Good to know: Last year, Premier League clubs voted to ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsors, which would see them outlawed by the end of the 2025/26 season
The regulator is expecting clubs to demonstrate that they have carried out due diligence on their white label partners and that customers in Great Britain can’t transact with unlicensed sites.
Clubs may be liable for prosecution and may face a fine, imprisonment or both if unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain are promoted.
This isn’t the first time, TGP Europe, the operator of Stake.uk.com, has faced action from the Commission, after it was fined £316,250 ($393,977.90) in April 2023 for a number of anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures through its white-label brands.
In other news from the Commission, the regulator has published insights into financial risk assessments after the completion of the first phase of its current pilot, with 95% of the assessments meeting the first criteria of a frictionless assessment.
